commentary by Patrick H. Moore
Women are sexually harassed in a variety of work environments, but probably nowhere is it more common that in work environments that were traditionally male in which women now play a larger role. These environments include the military, law enforcement, fire fighters and paramedics. I am always surprised by the fact that women bother to go into these professions in the first place knowing full well that they will not only face a certain amount of discrimination, but that they also may very likely be sexually harassed.
Viewed in a certain light, however, these are “helper” professions not unlike teaching and the various areas of medical practice. Thus, it is not really surprising that women, who have often historically worked in the “helper” professions, would be attracted to these once mostly (or all) male positions.
Nonetheless, if you are a woman working in law enforcement, it has got to be incredibly disconcerting to discover, after going through all the trouble of completing the police academy requirements and getting hired, that once you are on the job you are the target of serious sexual harassment.
This is the position NYPD officer Ann Cardenas, 29, who works in the 83rd Precinct in Bushwick, Brooklyn now finds herself in. In this instance, the sexual harassment became unbearable and Cardenas has filed a discrimination suit with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the state Human Rights Division in which she claims that as part of a pattern of systematic sexual harassment, a 300 pound 83rd Precinct sergeant, 41-year-old David John, showed her photos of his penis and crudely told her he wanted to have sex with her as well as rubbing himself against her while grunting.
Officer Cardenas claims she was repeatedly groped and grinded against by the hulking sergeant who nicknamed her his ‘work p****.’
Needless to say, this case has drawn a bit of attention – attention NYPD would no doubt prefer to do without. The Brooklyn district attorney’s office and NYPD’s Internal Affairs Bureau are busily investigating the claims, which Cardenas’ lawyer, Linda Cronin, describes as the worst sexual harassment case she’s seen.
‘There was a frathouse culture in the precinct that was beyond the pale,’ Linda Cronin told the New York Daily News.
The EEOXC complaint reads: “In the summer of 2013 while I was in the precinct sitting on the couch in the conditions unit room, Sgt. John grabbed me, threw me down and held me down while trying to kiss me. He then climbed on top of me and would not let me up.”
The harassment allegedly went on for more than a year which gave Sgt. John plenty of time to be “creepily creative”:
“He also showed me pictures of his penis and asked, ‘Is this big? It’s bigger than your boyfriend’s.’ This was done in front of the other officers,” Cardenas said in the complaint. “Sgt. John often pulls his pants down in front of me. He often sleeps in the office with his belt undone, and then will pull his pants down, grab his groin and say, ‘Ann, hold this for me,’ and will do this in front of other officers.”
Although Cardenas may well receive some level of monetary compensation based on her lawsuit, it’s still quite horrible to think of her coming to work each day knowing full well that Sgt. John would take advantage of every opportunity to harass her.
According to her lawyer Cronin, Cardenas, a 6-year-veteran of the force, has received good work evaluations.
“Many have looked the other way as if they didn’t know about the discrimination and harassment,” Cardenas states in the complaint, noting that a lieutenant did warn John to knock it off.
Naturally, Sgt. John’s representatives have been quick to deny Cardenas’ claims, and have suggested that there are many holes in her story.
Andrew Quinn, a lawyer for the Sergeants Benevolent Association, apparently told the Daily News: ‘Sgt. John is aware of the allegations and is in possession of compelling evidence confirming that Officer Cardenas is not being entirely truthful.’
Ain’t that sweet? ‘Officer Cardenas is not being entirely truthful.’ What does that mean – that the harassment was even worse than what Cardenas is describing?
As for Sgt. John, he’s put his 20 years in and has filed for retirement. His departure is on hold, however, due to the pending investigation. John is currently on a modified assignment.
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Assuming that Cardenas is being truthful, and I suspect she is, she showed incredible patience to put up with the harassment for as long as she did before filing the discrimination suit. Generally, in a lawsuit of this nature, in the event Cardenas wins – either at trial or through settlement proceedings – Sgt. John and NYPD will be jointly and severally liable for any resulting damages. Thus, Cardenas could come out of this a wealthier woman than she was prior to filing the lawsuit.
On the other hand, whether it’s win, lose, or draw, by coming forward as she has, Cardenas has undoubtedly profoundly irritated the NYPD frathouse culture which, of course, engenders and rationalizes the sort of harassment she has endured. This means that on the job, she will probably never again be comfortable, a fact she is no doubt aware of.